


Morning Walks, Morning Talks

by lizardcookie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, jily, sixth year jily is such a moment for the two of them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 11:31:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5867629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizardcookie/pseuds/lizardcookie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Alright, Evans?" James asked from his position, doing his best to shoot her a winning grin that screamed 'Yes, it’s perfectly normal for a bloke to be sleeping in the Forbidden Forest and no, Gryffindor doesn’t need to be docked points and yes, I too look as put together as you do this morning.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning Walks, Morning Talks

**Author's Note:**

> So imagine for a second the sheer violence of a werewolf transformation. Remus isn't an animagus, who uses magic and then goes back to human form, and Remus is always described as wearing raggedy, tattered clothes.... All I'm saying is that werewolf transformation def means Remus is just waking up naked every full moon.

Two barks. That means Padfoot had only tracked down one other Marauder. 

Groaning, James turned over and flipped onto his back, trying to remember. Blistering hell, the pain in his torso could only mean another bruised rib. Peter was going to murder him for bruising one for the third moon this year-- he made a note to himself to master some healing charms himself one of these days. Trying to control his breathing and steady the pounding in his head, James closed his eyes and sighed.    
  
Last night had been a bad one, worse than it had been in a while. Any other moon would have been a simple jaunt in the woods, but of course the week before the Ravenclaw match-- 

_ No _ , James shook his head, focusing back. He was being selfish. Quidditch should not be his first thoughts. Finding the others before Hagrid did and getting Moony back into the Shack had to take priority.

  
The ground was cool and wet against his clothes, soaking through to his back and helping relieve some of the pain in his muscles. This wasn't so bad. Maybe Sirius could find  _ him _ instead. What's that his mother used to tell him? When lost, stay put? Yes. Yes, it wasn't so bad to just lay here on the grass for a bit. Judging by the small rays of pink poking over the castle, they still had about an hour before Madame Pomfrey would be bustling through the Shack door to retrieve an exhausted Moony. And the likelihood of Hagrid coming to this very section of the Forest this early in the morning was almost laughable, because James knew for a fact that Hagrid had worked through several buckets of mead last night at the Hogs Head. 

The sound of birds waking up, the feel of the spring breeze, the promise of clear weather for flying later (bruised rib mended, of course) actually all served to relax James, despite the fact that he could feel mud dried in his hair and his clothes, and despite the jagged bit of a rock resting uncomfortably against his shoulder blade.  So content was he in the grass that he didn't pay attention to the sound of slowly approaching footsteps until  it was too late for both of them .

"What the--? Of course. Potter?"

James' eyes flew wide open and immediately caught the  amused green gaze of the speaker. Lily Evans stood directly over him, the ghost of a smirk playing across her pretty feature s. His brain, already jumbled, seemed to have completely stopped working. Rather than standing up from the ground, as any person really should have, he stayed there looking up at Lily, noticing the way her hair curled slightly at the bottom and the pink tinge to her cheeks from the morning chill, the way her lips turned slightly upwards and the way the morning light suited her complexion. 

Things he should not be thinking, really, because he and Lily had managed to form the best friendship they'd had during the aftermath of their worst and most public fight. He usually tried to push any more-than-friendly feelings he had about the witch in question out of his mind-- he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize what they had.

"Alright, Evans?" James asked from his position, doing his best to shoot her a winning grin that screamed  _ Yes, it’s perfectly normal for a bloke to be sleeping in the Forbidden Forest and no, Gryffindor doesn’t need to be docked points and yes, I too look as put together as you do this morning. _

“Alright,” she responded, shrugging slightly. Lily peered curiously down at James. "Do you often find yourself passed out at the edge of the Forbidden Forest?" 

"Er, no," he lied, and propped himself slowly up on his elbows. She gave him a once-over and smirked in earnest now. 

"Wild night?"

"You could say that," James muttered. “What brings you here so early? A violation of Prefect code, I should point out.”

"Couldn't sleep," she shrugged, staring distractedly off deeper into the trees. Lily looked back at James, almost disinterestedly now. “I thought I saw something through the bushes and had to check in case it was some foolish First Year. I can’t say I’m surprised to see you, though.” She tugged at her skirt for a second, evening the hem, before she nodded at him.

"Well," she said with an air of finality, "I'll leave you be, then." 

And Lily stepped  lightly away, beginning her trek towards the thicker trees rather than towards the Castle or Great Lake, where he presumed she had come from. James stared out at her. 

"Where are you going?"

She pointed to the path in front of her, as if it should be completely obvious that Lily Evans was about to venture even further into the Forbidden Forest.

...the Forest where she could run into Peter or Sirius or-- the real worry-- a post-transformation Remus.

Shit.

“Evans,” he called, thinking quickly. There was really only one thing to do. "Fancy some company?"

She blinked, not answering him for a moment. 

"I’m fine on my own, James." Lily started. "I've got a lot on my mind. I'd just like to think."

"Well, a two headed dragon is better than a one headed Sphinx," James answered, standing slowly so as not to disturb his rib. 

“What?” 

“It’s what my dad likes to say,” he defended. James knew he was intruding, but this rudeness was necessary. Sirius must be fine, but Peter? Sometimes his little rat body couldn't handle too much excitement, and happening upon Remus was certainly not an option. The only way to avoid possible disaster was to steer Lily Evans away from any sign of the other boys. 

“You really don’t have to do this. I know how to handle myself,” she told him, eyeing him wearily as he neared. She must’ve thought he was being chivalrous.

“I know  _ you’re  _ fine, but what about me? I've just woken up dazed and confused," James caught up to her and moved to throw a very friendly arm across her shoulders, but thought better of it as soon as his rib tugged painfully. He covered the awkward gesture by running his hand through his hair and was embarrassed to feel a couple of leaves caught up in the mess. Lily looked at him in bemusement as he carried on.  "You can't just leave confused people on the ground, Evans. I could be lost forever or eaten alive in the wilderness."

“Oh please,” Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could walk blindfolded out here and know the way back. How many detentions have you served with Hagrid now?"

"I lose track."

"Mhm," she tutted, but now here they were, walking alone together in the crisp morning air. It was still fairly dark, which made Lily's venture out here all the more curious, but James didn't question his luck. Lily didn't make any further protests of his presence, either, and instead turned to him in conversation. 

"Can you believe Slughorn assigned us the Drought of the Living Dead as a challenge?" Lily asked. James made a scoffing noise. 

"Child's play," he nodded. "I would love it to be on the final though."

"Ooh, don’t get me started on finals, please, I'm already stressed about McGonagall's.”

“I can help you with Transfiguration if you can help me with Ancient Runes,” James offered.“It’s been killing me this year.”

“Deal,” she said with relief. Lily began to walk along the massive tree roots, balancing carefully as she followed their twisting path. James watched her as she made her way forward with arms extended until she hopped down from the large root,  breathing out a  _ huff  _ and straightening herself up to say, “I wish I hadn’t continued Runes.”

He looked at her in surprise. “You’re joking. You couldn’t shut up about it in Fourth Year!”

“I think it’s a waste of time, now,” Lily  confessed. “I’d rather have more practical lessons or maybe  a dueling club, you know? Runes aren’t exactly applicable after graduation.”

“Yeah, maybe,” James mused. “ But they’re fun and Professor Babbling gives a much better history lesson than Binns when she wants to. Besides, I thought you wanted to travel around, check out different dig sites?”

“Plans change,” she said  matter-of-factly . “Priorities change, people change.”

  
And then she was quiet. Lily walked with her hands in her pockets and head down, thinking. Her change of attitude confused James a bit, but it was early and he was the one intruding on her thinking time, so he didn’t push her. He was sore and in pain and she was contemplative, but the sky was turning a more brilliant pink, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to be out alone with Lily Evans.    
  
She guided their path and the sound of feet crushing twigs mixed in with the sound of the nearby brook and the birds waking up. He couldn’t hear any strange footsteps or mouse scurry or dog bark, and he was content. What could have been a disaster of a morning was turning out to be quite a pleasant one. 

They had just passed what he knew to be a Fairy grave sight when Lily broke the silence. 

"James," she started and it was strange, because he wasn't used to Lily Evans sounding uncertain, "Am I a bad person?"

He looked at her in astonishment. “Who made you think that? Who? What did they say, why in Merlin's name--"

She rolled her eyes. "Would you just answer the question?”

“ _ No _ ,” he stated, emphasizing his point with a jerky head shake. Lily weighed his answer with a frown on her face before turning her gaze back into the Forest.

“I’m not so sure,” she confessed, and then she was quiet again. It occurred to James that she may have lied about her reasons for being out in the Forbidden Forest so early, just as he did. 

He stared at her, eyes narrowed. "What are you doing out here, Lily? The honest answer."

Lily's cheeks grew red and he smiled because he  liked making her blush. "You're going to make fun of me."

"Try me.”

Lily paused her walking, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I wanted to, you know, for academic purposes of course, uh... track down a unicorn," she finished lamely. 

Pause. "A unicorn?"

"Well, you see, if one were feeling like maybe they aren't a good person anymore--"

"But you are."

"--then theoretically they could test that assumption with a unicorn, because unicorns used to really like them a few years ago when everything was better. Or maybe not  _ better, _ per say, but… different."

James stared at her. “You do know that made no sense, right?”

“It makes perfect sense.,” Lily defended. “They’re impartial judges of character, aren’t they?”

“Oh, Merlin," James breathed. “Is that where we’re going? To find a herd?”

Lily grumbled a bit and then presented her shoulder bag to him. He opened it to find it stuffed with her Care of Magical Creatures book, apples and carrots from the kitchens, and a couple of old letters and parchment scraps. James looked at Lily with a wide smirk.

“You packed sugar cubes?"

“I told you not to make fun of me!”

“I’m not making fun of you,” he said earnestly. “I’m impressed by how ‘Lily Evans’ this is, to be honest.”

“Should I be offended by that?” 

He smiled. “Not at all. You doubted something and you immediately searched for some sort of academic or magical proof.”

“That makes it sound so clinical.”

“You’re the one who wanted an ‘impartial judge,’” James chimed. Then, “Cinnamon.”

Lily raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“You packed regular sugar cubes. Unicorns prefer cinnamon sugar.”

“Damn, I knew something wasn’t right” she swore, then shook her head. After a moment, she spoke again with a quietness he wasn’t used to hearing from her. “I’ve been feeling off lately,” Lily confessed, "like something’s wrong with me.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” James asked tentatively. She eyed him carefully before responding.

“No,” she sighed, running her fingers up through her bangs in thought. “No, it’s rather personal. But thanks for asking.”

“Alright,” he nodded, and he let the silence grow around them again for more than a few moments. They had stopped walking, and Lily leaned against a large tree and slid down, taking a moment to sit. James dug in her bag, taking an apple for himself and biting into it. The pain in his side protested strongly against his walking and he was thankful for the break, but years of Quidditch injuries had taught him to muster through all sorts of pain.

Besides, he was always doing stupid shit around Lily Evans. Walking around while barely being able to breath was just another item on that list.

James chucked the apple core and turned back to find Lily eyeing him, almost weary in her gaze. He could tell she was ruminating on something unpleasant, though for the life of him he couldn’t guess what. Friends though they were, Lily was never very open about her personal life, the life she has outside of Hogwarts and the life she had only a year ago with Snape as her best friend. James suspected that she was not the most trusting of others, and he couldn’t exactly blame her. If  _ he  _ had been publicly insulted by his best friend in the way she had been… James sighed, reaching his hand out to rest on her knee in what he hoped was a comforting manner. She didn’t knock it away.

“You are not a bad person, Lily," James said, holding her gaze steady. “Everyone has to change at some point. Just because some people made the wrong choices around you doesn’t mean  _ you _ made them bad. Trust me,” he emphasized, “You’re one of the farthest things from a bad person.”

Lily’s eyes flicked across his face, trying to read for any sort of jest, but she found none. She sighed heavily. "Maybe you're right." 

James nodded solemnly. “I usually am.”

“Then again, maybe people don’t change,” Lily said and she had a grin tugging at her lips. “You’re still an arrogant prick.”

“And you’re still a know-it-all with a bad habit of being right,” James retorted. “But a good person. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Lily.”

She sat there with her arms wrapped around her and a slight pout on her face, and James knew what to do, because really, how could he not?

“Come on,” he stood up, extending his hand out towards her. “Up.”

When she didn’t move, opting instead to look at him in suspicion, he waved his hand tantalizingly with a lopsided grin, explaining himself. “Let’s go find a unicorn.”

Relief broke out on her face. "You don't think I'm being silly?"

He kept smiling. "Irrelevant. There's a clearing not far from here that I know for a fact the foals like to frequent. If we hurry, we could see some of the younger ones. Well, you can see them. They won't take to me all that well."

“It’s not my fault that unicorns hold antiquated ideas about female innocence,” Lily said in a sing-song manner as she allowed him to pull her up to her feet, and he pointed her towards a path that led eastward. They marched on, a new spring in both their steps, because Lily was getting answers and James was providing them.  And so they continued their stroll,  which, unfortunately, meant they were walking towards the Shack rather than away from it as he had planned  earlier. He couldn't risk taking out the Mirror to talk to Sirius, and he figured that wouldn't work, anyway, as he was probably still Padfoot. The Map was also out of the question, as Peter currently held it. All James could do was hope that Moony had either already made it back or that he wouldn't chose this particular neck of the woods to travel on.

That's what James had hoped. 

He only heard it because he had been waiting for something like this to happen. Lily would have never noticed the sound, but James’ senses were heightened despite his current physical state of pain. The leaves to his left, just to the other side of Lily, were shaking at an unnatural pace with a sound that disturbed the natural flow of the Forest. He gave a hard look into the trees, trying to see what was out of place.

It was there, staring straight at him through the skinny trees,  that he spotted a very pale and very naked Remus Lupin, sporting a very panicked look on his face. Then James saw Moony mouth a very distinct " _ Fuck."  _

James grabbed Lily by the shoulders and turned her in the complete opposite direction.

"Wrong way," he explained to her startled expression, "Giant spiders down there.  You couldn't even imagine." 

"I didn't know we had acromantulas here," she said, turning her head back towards the trees in curiosity.

“Hagrid,” James invented wildly from the top of his head, not even sure what he was saying, “you know him. Always a surprise.”

“Fascinating,” Lily mused, but she allowed James to continue steering her away from the spot behind a tree where Remus was currently searching for his dignity.

And it worked, too, James had distracted Lily away from the poor naked boy long enough to give Moony a chance to retreat backwards into another path that would lead to the Shack. There really wasn’t much time left to get there, but it should work out in the end. Close calls are usually the only sort that they do.

James was fine letting Remus handle things himself. Because, he noticed, his hand was at the small of Lily’s back and she was chattering away about the wandwood trees she saw along the way, and he couldn’t tell if he was imagining  that she sort of leaned into him now. They weren’t far from the clearing he told Lily about and he knew Remus would be fine.

That is, at least, until the barking started.

It was distant at first, but Sirius has always been nothing short of an excellent tracker, and it was only a matter of time before he caught up to them. Lily was still walking dutifully by his side, not conscious of James’ glances over his shoulder and unconcerned by the approaching doom that was Sirius Black when there was havoc to be wreaked.

“Ollivander must have so much knowledge that he hasn’t even written down, you know? I think I’ll sit with him this summer, if he’s not too busy, and just--what's that noise?”

That noise, James knew, was the sound of quickly approaching paw steps coming directly at them, coupled with the a resounding chant of the word "fuck" over and over again.

It happened in a matter of seconds. Lily stopped walking and turned around just in time to see Remus Lupin in all his glory, running like hell and screaming what sounded like a string of profanities. James also heard something along the lines of “I’m going to  _ kill  _ you” yelled out, but he couldn't be sure. More footsteps approached, but these were definitely not human.

A rather large black dog chased after Remus, barking and nipping at his ankles. The dog spotted James and Lily and paused, wagging its tail excitedly. It gave another large  _ woof! _ at the pair before pursuing its chase once more, butt and tail disappearing in the distance.    
"Was that... That wasn't--" but Lily didn't bother finishing her question, for James' guffawing served as answer enough. He was bent over, clutching his side with one hand and propping the other on his knee.

“Shit,” he wheezed, trying to stop his laughter because  _ bleeding hell  _ did that hurt his rib, but trying to stop just made him laugh even more. 

The sheer absurdity of the situation-- from the moment he woke up to see Lily Evans' eyes looking down on him, to right now where those same eyes stared widely at where Remus' bare ass had been just moments before-- compounded with his exhaustion made his laughter quite difficult to cease, but even more painful to continue. Lily was still staring agape into the Forest where Moony was running to the Shack, her mouth open in a small  _ o  _ of confusion until she too was giggling along with James, because really, there was nothing else to do but join him. So they stood, laughing, until James began to visibly wince. 

"Ah, fuck," he muttered, clutching his side. The tears in his eyes were no longer just from hysterics. 

Lily looked at him in alarm. "Are you okay?"

"Shit," he breathed, "yeah, I'm fine it's-- my rib." 

"Your rib? Let me see."

"No, it's fine, Peter can--"

But Lily's hands had already found themselves at the hem of his sweater and she pulled it up to look at his bare chest. She gave a small gasp before her cold fingers moved across the bruise on his skin that marked the damaged rib. She was focused on examining the bruise and he was grateful because he could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment.

In all his daydreams, he never imagined that the first time Lily Evans fooled with his clothes would be like  _ this. _

"You've been  _ walking  _ and  _ talking _ with this thing?" Lily looked up at him, her tone astonished and a bit angry. "What the hell, James, you should have mentioned!"

"It's really--" but breathing was still shallow and difficult and her fingers on his chest made it even more so, "--not that... bad." 

“Get on your back.”

“What?” he choked out. Her fingers and touch were impairing his ability to think clearly.

“Your back,” Lily repeated slowly. “On the ground. You need to be still and stable.”

She didn't even wait for him to respond and guided him onto the ground herself. James dutifully obeyed and found, for the second time this morning, that he was lying down and staring up at Lily, except this time she was kneeling down at his side, her hands still poking at his chest. 

He was really, really grateful that Lily was focused on his rib and not anywhere else on his body. 

" _ Episkey, _ " she said, and suddenly her fingers were no longer cold but warm, a feeling that spread from her wand through his whole torso. His bruised rib grew burning hot for a moment before cooling down, the pain and discomfort gone. Lily applied pressure where the injury had been moments before, then withdrew her hands rather quickly. 

"I think that worked," Lily told him with a small cough and a fresh red blush on her cheeks. She stood and offered him a hand, which James took with a grin. Up now, he twisted his body, testing his mobility and breathing. 

"Brilliant," James beamed at Lily, who still watched him with flushed cheeks. "Really, really bril. How'd you get so good at healing charms?"

"Practice." She shrugged in an effort to be nonchalant, but what she told him should have been anything but casual. "I never know when I’m going to be attacked. I’d like to be prepared.”

James watched her tug on her scarf and avoid his gaze and was forced into a realization. He and Sirius know how to set the perfect trap for Filch, Peter knows how to make the perfect distraction, and Remus could always invent the perfect excuse. Sirius can sew stitches in his skin and Peter can mend bones, Remus knows just about any counter hex and he, James, can brew whatever salves they need when something doesn't heal and gets infected. 

Here they were frolicking about in the castle and through the woods while Lily Evans devoted her spare time to learning healing skills for her own survival. He suddenly felt very small for not realizing that  _ of course  _ Lily Evans tries harder in class than anyone else he knew. 

Her life depended on it. 

James looked at Lily and couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever deserve her. He tried to ignore the feeling of having his heart swell in affection while it simultaneously broke in two, but now she looked back at him, and if she noticed anything about what he was thinking, she didn’t say. Instead she began to walk again, expecting him to follow without asking. They continued in silence for a while before James realized that they were heading back to the castle. The sun was up and their adventure was ending. 

“Lily,” he started, “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for something?”

She shook her head, donning a soft smile. Her hair flopped gently about as she brushed it away from her face. “No,” she told him. “No, I think I'm going to trust someone else's opinion rather than some magical creature in the wood."

James grinned. "I think that's a good idea."

She shrugged, but mirrored his smile. They walked a little ways closer to the edge of the Forest when Lily piped up again. "Your dad's wrong, you know."

"What?"

" _ A two headed dragon is better than a one headed Sphinx, _ " Lily copied back to him. "The other half goes, 'But a one headed Sphinx usually doesn't set a village on fire.' It warns against faulty group decision making."

James blinked back at her, half in admiration and half in confusion as to why exactly he fancied her as much as he did. 

"You are, without a doubt, one of the strangest birds I know," he told her, and she punched him lightly on the arm.

"Be nice to me," she warned with  jest in her voice, "I've just had a traumatizing morning. Remus and I have rounds tomorrow and I’ve just seen a lot more of him than I ever intended. And, on a very incredibly unrelated side note,  I'm hungry-- come eat breakfast with me." 

"Pass," he shook his head regretfully. "I really should go check on Remus. It's, uh, partially my fault that he's in the state that he's in."

Lily raised her eyebrows. “Right. The wild night.”

“Bingo.”

"Well, okay," she said, and unless he was imagining it, Lily sounded disappointed about parting ways after such a pleasant morning together. "I'll see you around then."

"Yeah," James breathed. "Around is good." 

Then Lily Evans did something she's never done before. She stood on her tiptoes and grazed her hand over his and kissed him on the cheek.

"That's for listening to me," she told him, and the next moment she had turned from him and was already striding away.

James did something he's never done, too. He watched her leave for only a few second before he called out, “Evans, wait!”

Lily turned around just in time to see him come closer, take hold of her hand, and give her his own kiss on the cheek. James beamed down at her.

"That’s for feeling me up earlier.” 

Lily flushed a deep crimson. “I did not--”

But James was already walking away with only a jovial wave of farewell, laughing and happy and looking forward to the next time he decided to  pass out at the edge of the Forbidden Forest at the end of a wild night.


End file.
